Persona 3: Telos
by NotNatSat
Summary: Step into the night once more... Kazuo Nagahashi, a 2nd year transfer student at Gekkoukan High experiences a strange phenomenon known to a select few as the Dark Hour. Why has the Dark Hour and Tartarus returned? Will the former dorm mates fight together once more? And how will they react to meeting Kazuo in the midst of the Dark Hour? Find out, in this new repetition of fate...
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: A Repeat of Fate

* * *

 **11:57 PM**

 **4/8/14**

 **Nagahashi Residence**

* * *

Kazuo stared at the clock. He sighed.

 _Already this late? Geez, this essay is really annoying,_ he thought. He questioned that classic lit teacher, giving a 5 page essay on the second day. Maybe he shouldn't have transferred to that expensive school.

Gekkoukan _was_ a demanding school after all.

Well, his uncle said it was okay. After all, he was acing his previous school. He was practically a **Genius**. Well, at least that's how he considered it.

Kazuo stared at his room, momentarily distracted. He glanced longingly at his 3DS and PS4. They hadn't been touched since starting school. The white walls and lone TV stared at him. He sighed. School work first, unfortunately. Well not that it was hard or anything. It just took up time.

Typing the final words, he closed his laptop in relief. Kazuo flopped on the bed, exhausted after his second day. He glanced out the window. People were still roaming around, probably from a party. He stared at the moon, which looked awfully big today, and-

 _Wait, why's the moon growing?_ , he thought as he gaped at the growing moon, turning a sickening shade of green.

* * *

 **?:?**

 **?/?/?**

 **Nagahashi Residence (?)**

* * *

Kazuo simply watched at the the moon, and noticed the scenery. His water bottle turned red with...blood?! The atmosphere became heavy and green was virtually everywhere. What was this place? This wasn't his room, that's for sure. His uncle would have-

 _Wait, Uncle is-_

He jerked from the bed and sprinted to his uncle's room. The floorboards creaked heavily as he ran by.

"Uncle, what's-"

He stopped. On the bed, where his uncle should have been, was a giant coffin. Despite looking heavy, it seemed to float over the futon. Kazuo stared at heavy box, and was completely and utterly confused. He rushed over and tried to lift it, but to no avail.

 _Wait, is this uncle? But..._

"The phone!", he exclaimed. Kazuo lept for the handset, only to meet complete silence. He pressed the number aimlessly, and was given nor response. He tried his uncle's phone as well, but to no avail.

 _What?! What's going on? Why is there blood in my bottle? Where's uncle? Damn, what the heck is happening?_

Kazuo looked around, and finally noticed something. There were other coffins outside the room, in the middle of the street, and one right on the bench nearby…

 _Wait, are these coffins people? Which means that the coffin on Uncle's futon… is him? What the hell…_ , Kazuo gulped.

He was unnerved by the silence. The green made him feel sick…

Kazuo passed the mirror and stared at his reflection. He seemed normal. His black hair parted to the left, with a single tuft sticking in the opposite direction. His lean physique and toned body gave him the looks and qualities of the track team star. His mind began to wander as he thought about…

 _Wait, this is no time to be thinking about such things! I have to figure out what the heck is going on_!

He looked out the window. Everything else seemed similar...even the huge tower that seemed to touch the moon was there.

 _Wait, huge tower?_

 _What the heck? Isn't' that where the school is? Where did that come from?_ , he clenched his fist. He stared at the moon once more.

Kazuo did a recap. He was in some kind of mysterious place. His uncle, possibly in a coffin, as well as other people.

His mind relaxed slightly as he began to turn the gears. He would go outside and see what was happening. If this is another world, he could move freely, right? Then he would go outside and see how to fix his situation.

He grunted softly in frustration as he laced his shoes. His mind seemed to handle situations better than other people. He wondered where he inherited that from as he cautiously stepped outside.

* * *

Kazuo walked the empty streets, with coffins strewn everywhere. He felt the atmosphere pressing him, like an invisible weight. He had read about the legend of Atlas, who was forced to bear the weight of the sky. It was his punishment for revolting against the gods.

 _So this is what it feels like, huh…_

Kazuo walked on, passing Wakatsu chain stores, his favorite restaurant. He would always go there, sometimes to eat, sometimes to study a little (although now it was only eating), and he was well known by all the employees. He peeked inside, only to see more coffins.

 _Okay, so the coffins are really people… Now to test something_ …

Kazuo walked up to a nearby coffin on the street, and kicked it with all of his might. It barely budged.

 _So these coffins are relatively safe. Uncle should be fine for now, if anything happens. As for me, that tower…._

He stared at the tower, relatively closer now. He could confirm that it was in the same location as the school.

Kazuo warily approached the strange structure, and glance at the sign.

The sign still read "Gekkoukan High School", but it was definitely not the school he saw two days ago. The seemingly impossible structure towered over the rest of the land, and its peak aligned eerily with the green moon.

Kazuo stared at the tower. He felt his pounding heart, and shook a little bit.

 _What is happening? Is this a nightmare? If it is, it's pretty damn realistic_ , he exhaled.

Kazuo stared at the somewhat improved entrance. The bright light contrasted the rest of the structure.

Kazuo looked around. Silence stared at him in the face.

Then suddenly, a scream echoed out.

Kazuo gasped, "Where-"

Then he saw it. The black blob with a mask on it. An "I" was implanted in the center of its mask. And it was sliding towards _him_.

Kazuo stepped back. Whatever it was, it wasn't friendly. He was struck with fear. In the corner of his eye, he spotted and old crowbar. He grabbed it with his left hand and bashed the (blob?). It made a squelching noise in front of him. It burst into black and red mist with a single strike.

Panting, Kazuo turned around, only to see four more blobs of similar caliber. He leapt forward, with a strength that didn't feel like his own, and bashed the four shadows in one fell swoop. All of them burst in unison, and one actually dropped 2000 yen on the floor. Startled, he picked it up. The face of Hideyo Noguchi stared right back at him.

"...Ooookay then…", he spoke hestantly.

Turning again, he looked at the tower once more, which seemed to be shrinking.

 _Wait, shrinking?_

Just as suddenly as it had grown, the building began to shrink down, the individual parts combining with others to form his new school.

The real Gekkoukan had returned.

Startled, Kazuo watched as the blood puddles began to change color, and the heavy atmosphere was lifting. The sickening green was changing as well, and the moon began to decrease in size.

And as strangely as it began, he came back to what he could hopefully call, the real world.

* * *

 **12:01 AM**

 **4/9/14**

 **Corner of Gekkoukan and Paulownia Mall**

* * *

Kazuo looked around startled. Once he was sure no one was watching, he let out a huge breath he held. He was back.

He knew it can't be a dream now. He was still in front of the school. It must be something different.

 _But what?_

He clutched his head. He felt the oncoming of a headache. He shook his head and moved on.

The street lights were back on. He glanced at some flashing signs now. He was definitely back.

Kazuo's mind wandered as he tried to figure out what had just happened. He had entered some kind of strange world, and found some _things_ near the tower.

Kazuo paused. Wasn't the time after midnight?

 _Which means I may be able to enter that place tomorrow if I wait_.

Kazuo shuddered a little. He was slightly scared to go back. But he had an overwhelming sense of curiosity, of what caused this thing. He was sure it didn't happen before. Or at least fairly sure

He walked on past Paulownia. He heard Escapade's booming music, and some poor fool who set the karoake speaker to "Broadcast". Even from a distance, Kazuo heard the person's terrible singing, screeching into the night. He felt slightly at rest. At least the world felt somewhat normal.

Kazuo returned his thoughts again to his experience. He realized then that what scared him most wasn't the blood everywhere. It wasn't the coffins, or the heavy atmosphere. It wasn't even the mysterious blob things, either.

It's just…

 _Why did that tower feel so familiar?_

* * *

 **12:02 AM**

 **4/9/14**

 **Somewhere Else**

* * *

The woman stared as the moon shrunk back to its original state. She could only stand and stare at the moon. Tears immediately formed in her eyes thinking of the hardships she and the others endured five years ago.

She could feel the heat in her chest. She could see a little red emanating from herself. Her emotions were overworking her.

She immediately wanted to contact her comrades, but she stopped, as they probably knew by now. After all, they must have at least felt the awakening of _that_ time.

She checked the security footage. The unfortunately familiar tower appeared once more. Kirijo electronics were able to capture the Dark Hour.

And suddenly, a boy walked up to the school. She gasped.

 _A person in the Dark Hour? How?! Wait, does that boy have the potential too? Further clarification is required._

She watched as the boy turned to see a blob, a simple Maya. Although she could see the fear in his eyes as he bashed it, the shadow went down too quickly.

The woman watched in wonder as he eliminated the shadows directly behind him.

 _This needs to be reported to Kirijo_ , she thought, _an unknown person of this strength must be traced_.

She paused the recording, deep in thought. A small nagging began to creep inside her head.

She felt for the key, deep within her belt. She always carried it with her, no matter where she went.

 _To remind me…_

It was an old key. It started to rust a little, and no longer retained its color. However, its elaborate design was intact...

And it began to glow a certain shade of blue in her hand.

* * *

 **Well.**

 **Never expected to actually write something. But this idea was bouncing in my head for a long time, so i decided to become a contributor. Please, take some time to review. Uploads will generally be 1-2 weeks, so stay tuned!**

 **(By the way, I'm bad at solo monologues but will get better over time. I advice knowing at least some of Persona 3. P4A and Trinity Soul not canon in this.)**

 **Edit: Just a few editing mistakes corrected.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: School Times

 **Note: I had off for this week, so I managed to get this done. Didn't expect to get some favs until third chapter! It is welcome either way. Please, take some time to review.**

 **Thanks to all those who took attention to this fic!**

 **EDIT: OH MY FLUBBASdKHASN. MY FORMATTING EFFED UP! I'm so, so sorry to those who read this chapter the first time. Here is the better edited chapter!**

 **UPDATE: Sorry, my boss went through a lot recently, and he took time off last week and put it in yesterday. Expect chapter by Wednesday at the least.**

* * *

Chapter 2: School Times

* * *

 **8:27 AM**

 **4/9/14**

 **Nagahashi Residence**

* * *

Kazuo awoke with a groan. His body felt tired for some reason. He didn't get enough sleep last night for some reason. What was-

 _Oh, right…_ ,Kazuo grimaced. He remembered the events of previous night. The strange world were coffins turned into people.

His mind wandered as he buttoned his shirt. The carpet slipped and he fell back on the TV remote, switching on the TV.

"-or the news in Tatsumi Port Island. A startling new discovery has been made. Patient 0 of a new strain of Apathy Syndrome has been hospitalized today. The first strain of this mysterious disease took place five years ago. Scientists and doctors in the field have agreed that the syndrome is in accordance with the phase of the moon. After a full moon has occurred all traces of the condition vanish. With the exception of the last case, all versions of the first strain happened from early 2009 to 2010. The first five patients were found near Gekkoukan High School were…"

Kazuo stared. Five patients. Five monsters. Was it a coincidence?

 _Were those monsters part of the person? Or is it like the monster's eat the person in the coffin, so in the real world, they would suffer Apathy syndrome?_

Kazuo's eyes widened. That would mean... that other place was actually connected to this one!

He shook his head. Whatever that place was, he could investigate later. If it really existed, that is. He grabbed the remote and switched off the TV.

"Kazuo! Get your butt down here! You're gonna be late!", his uncle cried, "Breakfast is ready! Come and get it.".

At least his uncle was normal. Kazuo smiled as he bolted down.

"Hi! Bye!" Kazuo shouted as he grabbed his breakfast off the table and bolted off.

"Wai-", his uncle shouted before the door closed shut.

His uncle sighed, "What am I going to do about your morning habits?"

He shook his head, smiling, as he switched on the radio, tuning in for Tatsumi News Radio.

* * *

 **8:51 AM**

 **4/9/14**

 **Entrance to Gekkoukan High**

* * *

Kazuo stared at the school in front of him. The daylight made everything look bright. It was a complete opposite to the tower from last night…

"Are you all right? You've been staring at the school for a while..."

Kazuo turned at the voice. Another person his age was staring at him. Kazuo swore he saw the other guy's bag shuffle a bit.

"I'm alright. I'm fine." Kazuo waved him off.

The other student tilted his head, "Are you a transfer student? I haven't seen you around before…"

Kazuo nodded, "Yeah, I transferred here three days ago from a different high school downtown. What about you?"

The other boy shrugged, "I transferred here when I was in middle school. That was around four years ago."

"Four years, huh?" Kazuo replied.

The other boy nodded. They walked in silence as they entered the school. The other boy stopped for a second.

Kazuo turned, "Something wrong?"

The other boy's expression suddenly changed. His relaxed face gone, he took on a much more serious face.

"Did anything weird happen to you recently?" the other boy asked, a sudden change in his tone.

Kazuo did his best to put on a look of innocence. _What does you mean?_

"Why? Anything happen to you?" Kazuo replied coolly.

The other boy visibly shook, and his bag shifted once more.

He hiding something...Kazuo thought. He noted it down in his brain.

"Well, you know how the Apathy Syndrome returned right? One of the initial victims is a student here. In fact, in the previous case, a lot of students here were affected."

Kazuo nodded in agreement, "Right. I remember it happened my neighbor once. My uncle and I helped around their home for a couple of days."

The two boys exchanged other small talk until they reached their classroom.

"Well, see ya. It's nice talking to you." the other boy said.

"You too." Kazuo reached for the door. He stopped when he heard a slight gasp.

"You okay?" Kazuo turned quickly. But the other boy's attention was fixed on the classroom sign.

"Your class is 2-F?"the other boy stared. His expression changed to near unreadable.

Kazuo nodded.

"Huh. What a coincidence." the other boy said as he turned away.

"Oh, wait a second!" Kazuo shouted.

The other boy turned, slightly startled.

"I'm Kazuo Nagahashi. You wanna hang out after school, later?" Kazuo asked bluntly.

The other guy blinked. "Uh, sure."

The other person hesitated for a second, before continuing.

"My name's Ken, by the way. Ken Amada."

* * *

 **10:02 AM**

 **4/9/14**

 **Classroom 2-F**

* * *

Kazuo sighed as Mr. Ekoda droned on.

 _Who cares about some random dude who wrote the book? Just read the freaking book. You don't need the entire background._

"...well, Nagahashi. You seem to already know the answer if you are sleeping. Tell me, who wrote Genji Monogatari, hm?

Kazuo barely lifted his head. "Murasaki Shikibu, an early female writer". He added the second part as a punch.

Mr. Ekoda, looking shocked for once, bumbled on, "Uh, well, yes that is correct. M-moving on…"

Kazuo turned his attention to his notebook. He listed things down that related to that strange event last night.

 _-Happened at midnight (may happen again)._

 _-Everyone turns into coffins in other world_

 _-Everything becomes green and heavy, and the moon grows impossibly big (Effect on weather?)_

 _-Possibly related to Apathy Syndrome (Five blobs-Five patients)_

 _-Ken Amada in Class 2-E may know something. Just intuition. Question further after school._

As Kazuo finished, he smiled. It was a little fun to play detective. He recalled seeing the Detective Prince once, on a TV interview.

His stomach growled. Kazuo winced as he realized he forgot his lunch at his uncle's home.

 _Whatever, I'll stop at Wakatsu to grab a bite._

Kazuo sighed as he tried to zone out of Ekoda's droning. But his mind wouldn't leave the strange tower that had stood in place of the school.

* * *

 **3:55 AM**

 **4/9/14**

 **Outside Classroom 2-F**

* * *

"Hey Amada!", Kazuo shouted. He managed to spot Ken walking out of 2-E at the same time.

"Oh hey. I was just looking for you." Ken replied. His bag seemed to shift more visibly now. "So, where do you want to go?".

"Wanna go to Wakatsu? I'm a regular there. They'll give us half off." Kazuo replied.

"Half off, huh? Sure!" Ken replied, eager for some food.

"Alright, we can take the subway there". Kazuo replied, laughing.

The two boys talked as they exited the building. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom again. The petals were falling on the pathway, and pink was strewn across the brick floor.

Suddenly, they stopped. There was black limousine parked right in front of the gate. A heavily built bodyguard was standing by.

"Please stay five steps away from the vehicle." The man rumbled.

"Oh...uh...sure," Kazuo said as he walked off. The windows were completely tinted, and it was impossible to see anything inside.

Kazuo shrugged and walked off. He turned to see Amada walking right into the car. Startled, he waited for him, watching in awe. After a minute, Ken stepped out of the car, smiling. Kazuo walked forward as he heard the last traces of the conversation.

"Kazuo...potential….eye on him….".

The voice was female, yet it seemed almost monotone, in its own strange way. Kazuo took a peek inside the car. There was one woman with green hair, and she held onto something gleaming silver. The other woman was someone…

In a white jumpsuit? What the heck...

Kazuo was tempted to see who the third figure was, but as he leaned forward, the door closed shut. Ken walked towards him.

"Hey. What was that about?", Kazuo asked, a slight accusatory tone in his voice.

Ken deadpanned, before returning Kazuo's prompt with a smile.

"They're just some relatives with a very expensive taste, that's all. I told them I was meeting up with you, and they didn't have to pick me up today."

"Oh, is that so...Well, whatever. C'mon, let's go to Wakatsu!", Kazuo said as he walked at a faster pace. He needed to catch the 3:15 railway.

"Alright, alright! You better not have been kidding about the sushi being half off!", Ken replied laughing, as his pace matched his friend.

The two made small talk on their way to the railway. The train was early today, so they barely managed to catch it on time. The attendant there gave them a scoff.

"You're really lucky, you know. If you had come 5 seconds later, I wouldn't have let you on." the attendant scolded.

The two boys nodded, chuckling a bit. But Kazuo's mind was deep at work.

"Kazuo...potential...eye on him..."...What could does it mean? What do they mean "potential"?

"Um… you okay?", Ken asked.

Kazuo blinked. He had been thinking too much about this. It was probably a mistake or something. Or maybe they were friends with his uncle?

 _Yeah that seems about right…_

Kazuo chuckled, "Nothing, just thinking about Ekoda. He gave us five paragraph essay that was super annoying. Honestly, that guy has no life."

Ken laughed, "Well, at least he's not as bad as Ms. Toriumi. She kept calling on random people every time. It's so embarrassing to be put on the spot like that, you know?".

"True, but at least she doesn't give as much work as Ekoda.", Kazuo said.

"Well, fair enough, I guess." Ken said, laughing harder than before.

Time seemed to fly as they walked out of Port Island Station. The bustling atmosphere and the setting sun made it seem nostalgic to those who frequented it here.

They chatted about their respective classes, when they passed the entrance to the back alley.

Ken faltered in mid-sentence.

"Something wrong?", Kazuo asked, concerned.

"No its...its nothing. Just a bad memory." Ken said. His voice became startlingly deep, and for moment, the person who stood next to Kazuo was completely different from the Ken Amada he (briefly) knew.

"Oh...well, whatever. Hurry up! We'll be late."

First the Apathy Syndrome, that weird limousine, and that strange alley...What is going on? I feel like I'm missing something important here...

"C'mon! We don't want to be late, you know!" Kazuo said. He began to walk even faster than before.

This time, Ken took a little time adjusting. Then he too joined Kazuo. A quick walk from the station was all it took to get to the strip mall.

They reached Wakatsu in five minutes. A record time.

The female waitress stood outside the store. She was in her mid-twenties, yet everyone confused her for being a high school student. Her short stature and baby face contributed to that much. Her black hair was loose along her shoulders, and she greeted the customers with big smile. It somehow widened even further when she saw Kazuo Nagahashi.

"Oi, Kazu-chan! Where have you been? You've been gone for three whole days now!"

She bopped him on his head with her paper advertisement. Ken snorted. Kazuo frowned at him, before shaking his head and looking at her.

"I'm fine, Saori-san. Geez... And don't call me Kazu-chan!" Kazuo suddenly exclaimed, burning red.

Saori giggled for a long time. Kazuo could only sigh as he watched her laugh on and on.

"So, are you going to order crab roll AGAIN…. Honestly, you'll become a real crab if you eat this much. You'll become fat and you won't be able to do track again!".

"Yes, I AM going to order CRAB ROLL AGAIN. And YOU are not going to stop me!" Kazuo's entire face was flushed with frustration. That only caused Saori to giggle even louder.

"Suit yourself, Kazu-chan. You're the one going to get fat!" she said in a singsong voice.

With a huff, Kazuo stormed inside. He wasn't be able to handle one of Saori's crazy antics.

Ken watched in amusement. He had never seen his new friend act like this. Ken initially thought that Kazuo was a cool, brooding kind of guy. In many ways, Kazuo was similar to M-

"Oh! Are you a friend of Kazu-chan?", Saori asked. Her demeanor changed suddenly.

"Um, yeah. I was just hanging out with him after-school." Ken answered.

"Oh, Kazuo's SO fun to hang out with. He'll listen to anything you have to say. He's so open minded! But you gotta be careful around him. If you pester him hard enough, he'll get REALLY angry!", the waitress said.

"Heh...Yeah, I noticed. Do you always do that around him?", Ken asked

"Eh, only sometimes. It's really fun to do that to him. He has a lot more redeeming qualities than most people. Most of the time, he's a pretty **Smooth** guy.", the waitress said. Ken nodded.

"Anyway, any friend of Kazu-chan is a friend of mine! What's your name, kiddo?", the waitress asked.

"I'm Ken Amada.", Ken said.

"Oh! Well, I'm Saori Mitsubishi. Whatcha going to order? I'll let Boss know.", the waitress replied.

"Huh?", Ken said startled by her directness, "Um, I'll have the veggie roll, please."

"Alright then! Have a seat inside. It's going to be rush hour soon…", she said in a creepy voice.

Ken nodded. He took a step forward and stopped.

"Um, Mitsubishi-san?", Ken asked.

"Hm? Oh, you can call me Saori. What's up?".

"Have you notice anything strange about Nagahashi-san in the past few days?", Ken asked.

"Hmmm…. Can't say that I have! Sorry!", the waitress bowed.

"N-no, it's alright. Thanks.", Ken said, as he walked inside. The smell of sushi filled the restaurant. In the background, he could still hear the cheerful waiter.

"Hi, there! Welcome to Wakatsu! What would you like to order?"

* * *

 **6:30 PM**

 **4/9/14**

 **Inside Wakatsu**

* * *

"What kept you?", Kazuo replied. His normal attitude had returned, and his face showed no signs of his previous interaction with the waitress.

"Oh, I just told her my order, that's its all.", Ken replied. He sat down at the table. A temporary silence between the two filled the air.

Kazuo broke the silence.

"So, what did the people in the limousine say about me?", Kazuo pressed. His tone took on a lower tone.

Ken sensed the sudden accusation, and deflected it. "Eh? What are you talking about?"

Kazuo shrugged, "Oh, Well, I swore I heard someone in that limousine say my name. Maybe I was hearing something."

Ken chuckled, "Trust me that's not what they said."

Kazuo's ears pricked a little. The way Ken said that sentence…

Something's off about Ken.

 _Ken seemed to know something that I don't. Hmmm… "Kazuo"..."potential"...Wait a second._

Kazuo stopped eating. Ken had been munching on the veggie roll in the meantime.

Could the limousine people and Ken be involved in that place? That would explain what they mean by "eye on him…". Oh wait! There's security cameras at the gate of the school!

Kazuo cursed under his breath. How could he be so careless? Kazuo clenched his chopsticks.

 _Wait, do they even work? No, the school would have called be by now..._

"You okay? You've haven't been eating…" Ken asked worried. His plate had been set aside, finished.

Kazuo blinked. The last roll on his plate remained untouched.

"Oh...sorry. Just a little tired from yesterday night…" Kazuo said, touching his forehead a little.

"Yesterday night? What do you mean?", Ken asked slowly.

Kazuo blinked, as he realized what he said, quickly covered his mistake.

"Oh, that dumb essay we had for Ekoda. I had to work on that late last night that's why. All the way to midnight, actually…" Kazuo replied.

Ken nodded.

"Midnight, huh…", Ken trailed off, his mind in the past.

Kazuo stared at him. He gauged Ken's reaction, his mind trying to process the facts.

Suddenly, he heard a bark.

"Ruff!"

"Eh?", Kazuo said, startled.

A white dog had poked out of Ken's book bag. Strangely, despite it's normal appearance, it had startlingly deep red eyes.

Ken laughed, "Ah! I almost forgot! This is the reason why my bag was shaking so much, if you were wondering. His name is Koromaru. Say hi, Koro-chan!"

"Ruff Ruff", the dog barked, as he wagged his tail.

Kazuo broke into a grin, "Hey there Koro-chan! Nice to meet ya!"

"Woof", Koromaru barked, as he enjoyed Kazuo's petting.

"Wow, you befriended him already? He doesn't take a liking to too many people.", Ken said, intrigued.

Kazuo continued to pet Koromaru, now obviously rolling around in the book bag.

Ken looked at the clock above.

"Oh, it's almost 7 already. I have to go soon." Ken said as he stood up and fumbled for his wallet.

Kazuo chuckled as Ken's face turned pale. Koromaru whined a little.

"Don't worry, it's on me for today.", Kazuo said, still chuckling.

Ken exhaled loudly.

"Thanks! I owe you one."

Kazuo, shook his head.

"It's fine, don't worry. Be safe on your way home. You never know what could happen, you know…", Kazuo said, an underlying tone.

Ken stared at Kazuo briefly, before turning around and exiting the restaurant. Koromaru exited the bag and walked out with him.

Kazuo waited for Ken to turn the corner, then smiled as he hit STOP on his phone.

* * *

 **11:58 PM**

 **4/9/14**

 **Nagahashi Residence**

* * *

Kazuo stared at the clock once more.

It's almost time.

Kazuo listened to the recording again. He could tell that Ken was clearly hiding something in his voice.

His eyes narrowed as an interesting idea came to his head. He typed, "Ken Amada" in his browser. Nothing relevant popped up.

He tried again, "Ken Amada Port Island". This time, he yielded a public case leak. Startled, Kazuo checked as it listed Ken as the witness to the murder of a "Shinjiro Aragaki". Supposedly, the autopsy read as a "15m close shot", but there was no evidence that anyone was there when the scene was examined. Ken had listed a "Takaya" as the perpetrator, but no one was listed under that name in Gekkoukan for the past 10 years.

Kazuo was stunned. This was the kind of past Ken was hiding?! He never asked why Ken had that serious look on him sometimes, but to think he was the sole witness of a murder…

Kazuo shook his head. Whatever happened, happened. His family was being targeted by Ken and the other people. And he also had to figure out what exactly that other world was.

Kazuo leaned back in his chair. He looked at the clock once more.

11:59...It's almost time.

Kazuo stood from the chair. He reached under the bed, and felt for the old crowbar he used in that other world.

He braced himself for the heavy atmosphere. He looked at the moon. For a moment, everything seemed perfectly normal.

Then the moon grew to a sickening green, and the world pressed down on Kazuo.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading. I'll say when then next update is in the ending note. For the next chapter, it is a bit of a doozy. Expect it to come either Sunday or Saturday next week.**

 **Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Pale Moon

* * *

 **?:?**

 **?/?/?**

 **Nagahashi Residence (?)**

* * *

Kazuo let out a sigh. _It_ was back.

He rose from the chair and grabbed the crowbar. Some of its rust fell on the bed as he picked it up. He sweeped it off quickly before grabbing his shoes. As laced them, he turned towards the pale green moon. It's color made Kazuo feel sick inside.

"Why is this happening?", Kazuo asked himself. Only silence responded him.

Sighing, he crept towards the door and slowly opened it. First, he would check on Uncle, just to make sure he was safe.

Kazuo stepped into his uncle's room. The heavy coffin floated over the futon. Kazuo grimaced. Why was he the only person allowed here? Why do others turn into coffins? What is this place, and why does the school turn into that dark tower?

Kazuo shook his head quickly. This wasn't the time for questioning. He needed to find out what this place has to do with Apathy Syndrome.

Kazuo visibly shook as he recalled his uncle suffering. It had only been for a day, but to see his strong uncle reduced to a vegetable was a traumatizing for an eleven-year-old Kazuo.

 _Enough. I have a mystery to solve…_ , Kazuo thought as he looked again at the coffin. He walked up to it and bashed it with his crowbar. It didn't budge from its position.

 _Good, it's safe..._

Kazuo, feeling satisfied, left through the window. As he landed on the ground, he looked at his surroundings. The street was completely empty.

He turned towards the dark tower. The structure seemed to be built with impossible physics. Stairways and giant halls were visible on the outside, and were in placed in angles which shouldn't have been possible.

 _That's strange...I could have sworn there was a white stairway near the top...Maybe I'm remembering wrong_.

Clenching his crowbar, Kazuo walked towards the tower, then broke into a jog. The streets seemed to blur together in his mind as he space out, fixed only on his destination.

* * *

 **?:?**

 **?/?/?**

 **Corner of Paulownia Mall and Gekkoukan (?)**

* * *

Kazuo strode across the all too familiar plaza. The fountain had turned red with (blood?), and the heavy surroundings pressed on his shoulders. Despite being more than healthy, just walking in this place fatigued his body…

 _Are there side effects to being here?_ , Kazuo thought, _I should be careful in the future_.

Kazuo continued to walk past Paulownia. It wasn't his destination, after all. He looked at the plants surrounding the neighboring fountain, wilting in the oppressive atmosphere. He shook his head.

 _Why is this happening? I feel like I'm missing huge information... but what?_

He closed his eyes. He was thinking too hard again. Right now, he needed to get to the tower.

He continued his jog once more, filled with a sense of mystery. His strides slowly formed a rhythm and his breathing was aligned with his body. Paulownia was well behind him now, and he began to reach the school. The dark tower gleaned eerily at its peak, and its entrance became clearer as he neared it. Its bronze sign glinted in the green moon.

Kazuo stared at the tower once more. It was definitely MUCH bigger than it was from a distance. He couldn't even see the peak from where he stood.

A few seconds passed while Kazuo stared at the building, in sheer wonder. He crossed the path warily, and creaked open the door.

Its first floor contrasted the rest of the building completely. Instead of dark and bloody structures, the whole hallway was filled with light, and white pillars line up with the checkered floor. Kazuo stared again at the marble hallway, then glanced at the entrance. It was a golden gear that gleamed, and was made with solid gold. It lead to a dark door, which gave off a darker aura compared to the rest of the room.

Kazuo whistled. Gone were the traits of the school he once knew (albeit for three days). The first floor hallways were nonexistent, and this pathway to the stairs was the only way into the tower.

Kazuo glanced at the golden gear. He could always come back to that blue door. For now, he needed to investigate those blobs.

He took a step forward before he heard the entrance creek. Startled, he barely managed to duck behind a pillar and turn towards the sound. His eyes widened.

A group of 6 people walked right through the entrance. Kazuo's jaw dropped. There were other people in this place?!

Kazuo stepped a little forward. Should he come clean?

 _No, I don't know who they are...I should stay clear._

Kazuo ducked further back. A few moments of silence enveloped the area. Then a voice rang out.

"So...it's back, huh?", a rough voice said. His voice echoed in the hallway.

"Y-yeah. U-um, I-I'm sorry Mitsuru.", a nervous voice said. For a few moments, silence filled the group.

"It's alright, Yamagishi. We...we ended it for sure. Something else is happening.", A regal voice responded.

Kazuo listened intently. Was this the information he was looking for?

"Arghh, I thought we ended it! Now we got to deal with this BS?!", A voice yelled.

"It is important to note that this Tartarus is looks almost the same. We do not know whether this is the same Dark Hour as the previous one. We should all be cautious.", a robotic voice pointed out.

"Yeah, Aigis is right. We have to keep an open mind. Before, we had the information we needed. We don't know whether our previous knowledge applies here.", a familiar voice agreed.

Kazuo's eyes widened. Was that… Amada?

"...grrrrrrr. Woof! Woof!", a dog barked.

Kazuo's eyebrows furrowed. Was that a dog? _What the hell?_

"Koromaru says that 'It doesn't matter what happened. We have a new mission now.", the robotic voice translated.

Kazuo blinked. Now he was confused. A person understands a dog? And what was Koromaru doing here?

 _This just gets weirder and weirder_.

"Everyone have their Evokers?", a high-pitched voice said.

The group shifted in agreement.

Kazuo's knees creaked. He needed to see the who they were. Slowly, he inched forward.

He scanned the group. A regal redhead seemed to be at the front. Beside her, a man with an old baseball cap walked beside, along with a brunette in way too much pink. Towards the back, a green-haired woman walked cautiously behind the group, along with a dog. Next to her, a woman in a white jumpsuit walked oddly towards the golden gear.

 _So those were the two people in the limousine._

In the middle, a white haired officer walked strongly, with boxing gloves on his arms. And finally, in the middle was…

 _Ken Amada...So, you do know about this…_

The white jumpsuit lady stopped. Suddenly, she jumped impossibly high.

Kazuo gaped. _What the heck?!_

The ground behind him trembled. Kazuo spun around, but wasn't quick enough. Two machine gun arms were spinning right at him.

Kazuo took a sharp intake. _She's going to shoot me_.

"...Step away from the pillar. NOW.", Aigis said.

"Huh? Aigis? Whatcha doing?", the baseball cap asked.

The group stopped as they stared at Aigis. Then slowly, another person came into view.

The group gasped. The black haired boy had his hands in the air, and turned to face them. His eyes were filled with fear.

"W-what the heck? Why does she have her machine gun trained on me?", Kazuo asked. The group just simply stared.

The Kirijo Group had been doing extensive research on detecting the potential within someone. For five years, they left their scanner running in the school. Suddenly, it picked up a signal a couple of days ago. The group was notified, and shocked. There hadn't been any readings of the potential before, and wanted to know why

The group looked at each other. They didn't know what to do. There had never been any reports of people exploring the Dark Hour. Clearly, this boy was very suspicious.

"U-uh...hello? I kind of have a gun trained on me, and-", Kazuo paused, his eyes trained on Ken.

"Kazuo-san...how are you here?", Ken asked slowly. The group looked at Ken. He knew Kazuo after all. He was assigned to keep an eye on him.

"I'll tell, but could you please get the gun off of me? I-I'm a little afraid of guns…", Kazuo said.

The redhead nodded at the Aigis. Warily, she lowered the gun and retracted it, replacing it with a gloved hand.

Kazuo exhaled loudly. He looked up at the adults in front of him. They seemed to come from extremely different backgrounds, with a baseball star and a famous boxer among them. He vaguely remembered seeing the boxer on a televised match.

He brushed himself, and nervously stuck his hands in his pocket. "Uh...Hi. I-I'm Kazuo Nagahashi."

He mentally facepalmed, _Come on! I can't be this_ _ **Timid**_ _!_

"Go on,", the redhead in the fancy coat said. Kazuo nodded.

"Uh...right so...Yesterday, I was doing some school work when suddenly, at midnight, this...strange place came. I was shocked, and when I walked outside, there were coffins scattered around. I saw this strange tower, and when I walked there, it was in the place of the school…", Kazuo began.

"Yes, we know. We saw the recording.", the robot said simply.

Kazuo's jaw dropped. Digital equipment works in this place?

 _But I just tested my phone…_

The redhead saw his expression, and chuckled slightly. "You see, there was a camera right at the school gate. We saw you walk in, and defeat the Shadows nearby.."

"Shadows?", Kazuo asked nervously.

"They're those blob things you fought. You know, the ones at the gate?", the boxer said, "We call those things Shadows. It's our job to beat em up."

"R-right", Kazuo continued warily, "Well, when those things came by, I-I used a bar to beat them away. That's when everything became normal. I walked home, and went to sleep".

He finished and stared at the group. He was finally able to take a good look at the group. Everyone had completely different outfits, with Ken being the only one wearing his school uniform. But when he looked into their eyes, they seemed to carry a heavy weight in them.

Kazuo looked down. They clearly had previous knowledge of this place, which would be impossible as it only happened yesterday…

 _Or did it? I haven't stayed up at midnight since two weeks ago...Could it have been around for that long without me noticing? No, I would have noticed it beforehand..._

Fuuka gasped. Everyone turned to her in concern.

"This presence...It can't be! It's more powerful than the other ones!"

Mitsuru, confused at first, looked at Fuuka before her eyes widened in horror.

 _4/9...In other words, its the day when-_

BOOM!

Everyone gasped in surprise az fire spurted from seemingly nowhere. Suddenly arms began to emerge from the flames, and the last one came out holding a mask. Etched on its face was the Roman Numeral I, and its eyes was black and hollow. Its arms pulled out swords, and it let out a terrible shriek.

Kazuo stepped back.

 _What the fu-, what is that?!No, I, I've gotta get out of here!_

Kazuo froze in fear. His mind yelled at his body to move, but it refused to obey. He could only watch in vain.

Suddenly, the group lashed out their guns. Kazuo barely had time to look before they placed their guns... _pointed at their head_

Kazuo yelled, partly in fear, and partly in confusion before the group cried out as one.

"PERSONA!"

* * *

 **Well. I didn't post on Wednesday. There's no excuse for that. Expect next chapter next Sunday**

 **Also, DID YOU SEE THAT SMASH REVEAL THO! I WAS LIKE "NANI?"! ALREADY PRE-PURCHASED THE HYPE TRAIN!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Loan

* * *

 **?:?**

 **?/?/?**

 **Mysterious Tower**

* * *

"PERSONA!"

The sound of glass shattering filled the air. Figures emerged from the glass, and began to come into view. They all had varying sizes, with one holding a globe and a sword, and another with wings across its body. There was one with a whip held in his hand, and a three-headed dog howled.

A mess of shouts filled the air. Kazuo caught only a few.

 _Magarudyne...Mamudoon...Hamoan…_

Kazuo stared in awe as a tornado formed out of nowhere, with a black mist swirling underneath. He blinked, and pinched himself.

 _This is a dream…_

"Fuuka, protect Nagahashi!"

"R-right, Mitsuru-san!", the green-haired woman yelled. Kazuo stared at her. She was the only one not attacking. Her figure was protecting her in a way. She extended the bubble to surround Kazuo within it.

"Are you okay? Here, take this bottle.", she said carefully dragging it out. Kazuo looked at it, questioningly.

"Its okay. It's just soda.", Fuuka said, mildly distracted.

"Mitsuru, try Bufudyne!", she yelled.

Mitsuru nodded, and she raised her gun.

CRACK!

The figure emerged again. It stretched his whip as a huge ice tower surrounded the Shadow. It dodged it easily, and leaped forward and slashed the ground. The floor split open, and everybody fell down. The shadow waved its swords menacingly.

One of the swords hit the bubble surrounding. Fuuka grunted. She wasn't used to attacks connecting with her shield.

Kazuo drained the strange soda, and instantly felt better. His mind cleared, and he could finally see the situation. The baseball head was lying on the floor, breathing hard.

The boxer raced towards Mitsuru, "What the hell?! I thought it was weaker than this?!"

She shook her head, "The damage it already took should have finished it."

He panted, "What now?"

"I-I don't know! I'm not good at field leading! Try Strike damage!", Mitsuru said, panting visibly now as she summoned her figure once more.

The Shadow suddenly stopped, and looked straight at Kazuo. Kazuo stepped back, stunned. It raced at blinding speed towards the the shield, and bashed it with all of its force and swords. It broke in a flash, and Fuuka yelped as she fell to the ground.

Kazuo leapt away, scraping his knee against the cracked floor. He grunted as he landed on the ground, hard.

He got up quickly, and surveyed the situation. Everyone was on the floor, groaning, with Mitsuru and the boxer struggling to get up.

He stared at the Shadow. It seemed to sense that he was the only target left. He began to side shuffle a little, trying to reach for any of the weapons littering the floors.

His hands closed around a small knife, held by the dog (he stopped asking questions to himself). Kazuo readied himself for the oncoming attack.

The Shadow paused, then leapt forward again.

"Stop!", Fuuka said, "You're not strong enough to fight it!".

Kazuo barely had time to register that before the Shadow slammed into him. He coughed blood. Grunting, he dug the knife deep into the black body. No response.

The knife was struck out of his hand, and Kazuo was knocked back by the force of the blow.

He grunted as he hit the base of the steps. He slowly sat up, before collapsing on the ground.

 _Am I am I really going to...?_ , he thought as he felt the strength draining from his body. The shadow stared at him, before creeping forward again.

The group struggled to get up and help the Kazuo, but the Shadow already had weakened. They watched helplessly as they watched the boy struggle. Ken could barely sit up, before collapsing again. If they only had their field leader…

Kazuo tried to get up once more, only to fall once more. Blood was trickling from his mouth, and he could taste the bile in his throat.

 _Why here? Why in this kind of place? Why do I have to…_ , Kazuo thought.

 **Do you?** , a voice spoke in his head.

Kazuo blinked. He looked around.

 _What?...I-I don't know_ , Kazuo thought.

 **If I give you my power, will you live on?** , the voice said. It had an almost ghostly tone to it.

Kazuo seemed to recall that someone had said that before. Kazuo grunted, as he sat up on the stairs. Clutching his right arm, he stood warily on the steps. A new fire in his eyes, he glared at the monster. The Shadow paused for a second, before continuing forward.

 **Very well...Your silence speak volumes...** , the voice remarked.

Suddenly, Kazuo could feel something growing inside his head.

A blue flash came from above. The group's attention turned to the flash and saw a card descend from the sky, right in front of Kazuo.

Kazuo looked questioningly at the card, before, clutching it carefully in his hand. The back of the card was blank, and when he looked closely, it began to glow.

A new strength seemed to flow within him. One that came from his new power.

He let out a soft laugh, before the word came to him.

He had it now... _Power._

"Per...so…", he muttered, before crushing the card within his hand. The sound of glass shattering filled the large room.

"PERSONA!", he yelled, as the card turned to glass, before disappearing. Instantly, the air around him began to blow harder, as the shards of the card began to form something above him. Machinery sounds filled the air as the figure became clearer.

" **I am thou...and thou art I…From the sea of thy soul...I cometh...** ", it bellowed, " **I am Orpheus Telos, master of strings…** "

The figure's cry echoed in the room, halting the Shadow in its track. Its blue eyes seemed to blur with the surroundings, and its red and gold body seemed to hum like a machine. A golden harp rested on its back, and it stopped its cry and glared at the shadow.

Instantly Kazuo felt his body reach peak condition. He glared at the shadow, before another phrase came to his mind.

"Maragidyne!", Kazuo yelled.

Instantly, fire began erupting around the Shadow. It managed to dodge, but it seemed to have sensed a shift in power.

Another phrase flew into his mind.

"God's Hand!", Kazuo yelled.

The figure above Kazuo flew forward, and it drew its harp once more and bashed the Shadow. The shape of a fist could be seen as the harp flew forward.

The shadow took the brunt of the hit, and a loud squelching sound came from its body.

It stumbled backward, its arms no longer moving as deftly as before.

Fuuka managed to sit up now. She could sense the power levels of everyone in the vicinity.

Koromaru, Ken, Junpei, and Yukari are down...Akihiko and Mitsuru are struggling, and the Shadow seems to have weakened slightly.

She stared at Kazuo, trying to process the information. The boy was able to summon a Persona now, and for someone who just awakened to it, it seemed way too powerful.

 _It's stats are off the charts! But why can't I read its skills? And...why does it look like_ **his** _Persona?_

The redhead and the boxer were able to stand, and watched as Kazuo proceeded to destroy the Shadow, move by move.

"Mahamaoan!"

"Megidolaon!"

The Shadow took spell after spell as it began to shrink. Its arms began to recede within its body.

Sensing the opening, the figure took the opportunity to snatch the mask from the Shadow. Roaring, it smashed the mask on the ground, destroying it completely.

Instantly, the Shadow's body disintegrated, being absorbed into the ground. The figure let out a cry before disappearing in a flash.

The three members stared at the boy, panting heavily.

He stared. Weapons littered the floor, and only the redhead, the boxer, and the green-haired woman remained. The rest were lying on the floor, barely breathing.

Kazuo sighed in relief.

 _I did it...Thanks...whoever you are…,_ Kazuo thought as his mind shut down. His previous power left his body, and he fell on his knees before collapsing to the ground.

 **...**

* * *

 **Whew! That snow storm was really annoying.**

 **My boss gave me today off, so I managed to finish up the rest of the action sequence. How is it? Please feel free to review, like always.**

 **Also, the formatting is messed up in Copy-Paste mode. Please notify me if any grammatical mistakes happen.**

 **PS: Subtle reference is subtle. See if you can find it ;).**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The Contract

* * *

 **?:?**

 **?/?/?**

 **...**

* * *

Kazuo opened his eyes. He was floating...no, he was standing...or…

 _Ugh...my head..._

His senses started returning to him, slowly. He began to take in his surroundings.

 _Wait, am I in space-_

RRRRRRRRRAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

Kazuo yelped as he turned around. A huge black hand came from the darkness and began to tug on something. The stone door didn't budge.

The creature's eyes glowed an eerie red. It had horns on the top of his said, with a terrible smile implanted on its face. It's rear end had inverted horns, and had the same, ugly face.

 _Is that a Shadow?...What is this...Is this hell?_

The creature let out another ear piercing scream, and tugged furiously on the door. No movement.

"It's not hell. Although it can feel like it sometimes…", a voice remarked.

Kazuo turned. A blue-haired boy stared at the door, his expression unreadable. Kazuo started. _Who…_

"...am I? I can't tell you my name just yet. You'll need to promise me something first…"

The other boy turned, smiling slightly. Kazuo stepped back. He gulped.

"Wh-what is it?"

"The tower...it's called Tartarus…", the other boy said.

 _So it has a name…_

"I want you to climb it. I know, it's no small feat, but it is a mission that only you can accomplish."

Kazuo stared in confusion.

The other boy chuckled. It felt almost hollow, in a way.

"'Why me', you ask. It's because of that card you hold."

Kazuo felt his pocket. The card glowed blue in his hand.

"You have the Wild Card now. I took it and gave it to you. It's yours, as long as you keep my promise…", the other boy said.

Kazuo looked once more at the card.

"Is that all?", Kazuo asked feeling confident with the card.

The other boy smiled just a little more.

"Take this.", the boy said, handing a mysterious sword, "When you reach the roof, I want you to plunge this sword into the center. It will cause the tower to fall. You see, the tower is the reason why that mysterious place occurs...If you don't do this by **December 31st** , then the world will be forever stuck in the Dark Hour…"

"Dark Hour?", Kazuo asked.

The other boy chuckled, "The mysterious place where people turned to coffins...I believe that's how you described it…"

Kazuo nodded slowly.

"Very well. Here."

The other boy waved his hand, producing a sheet of paper. It only had one line.

 **I chooseth this fate of mine own free will.**

Kazuo stared at the floating paper. A pen lingered over the signature space.

"It just means that you will take responsibility for whatever you do."

Kazuo gulped. He grasped the pen slowly, and brought it to the page.

 _X Kazuo Nagahashi_

The contract disappeared as soon as it was signed. The other boy sighed.

"It's begun again...don't let me down.", the other boy said.

He disappeared into the blackness of space.

Kazuo took a look at the stone door once more. There was something in the middle, but he couldn't see it…

Suddenly, his legs gave way as he no longer felt his lower body. He looked down, startled, as he felt himself go through the floor.

Darkness.

* * *

 **This chapter was supposed to be short, if you were wondering. I'm trying to grind out as I won't be able to keep pace for almost 3 weeks! (FYI Family Problems)**

 **How's the story progressing? Feel free to review and critique!**


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